Darkness's Son Interlude: Standardized
by The Hope Lions
Summary: While taking PA tests Luke Skywalker, heir to the Empire, decides to push a bill through the senate criminalizing standardized tests. What he didn't know was that the real test was just beginning. (Set right before "And Then the Light Comes" but is easy to understand without having read the others. Vader is raising a teenage Luke, and things are never simple.)


Hello, it's me. I'm in California dreaming... oh wait, no, I'm not. I'm in my last 3 weeks of high school and going insane. My solution, of course, was to write a fanfic. This fic is dedicated to everyone who has ever taken any test written by the CollegeBoard.

Disclaimer: As usual I only own a few Disney stocks, but I'm beginning to think I write more fanfic than my stocks are worth, so I'll just say I don't own anything but my insanity. I also don't own anything related to CollegeBoard, not that they have CollegeBoard in the Empire. The CollegeBoard is obviously not evil enough to be in the Empire...right?

ENJOY!

* * *

Luke usually kept his lightsaber on him at school, if well hidden, but Mr. Reybag had set up a metal detector at the library door. All students entering PA tests had to pass through the detector under the Headmaster's supervision. Somehow this was supposed to prevent cheating, but Luke just disliked not having his lightsaber. He couldn't cheat with a lightsaber after all, though the Force did provide him ample opportunities for dishonesty. (He didn't take the mental messages he could pick up from students around him, but if the Force helped his guessing ability, well that wasn't really Luke's fault, now was it?)

Besides, even if Luke was willing to cheat his lightsaber would not have been helpful to do so. All it would have been helpful for was ending Luke's misery. All he'd have to do was put the weapon to his head and then turn it on and….

Perhaps a blaster would have been easier to kill himself with, but Luke was desperate enough he was starting to consider stabbing himself with his number 2 pencil. Was it possible to Force choke oneself to death? Surely there had to be some way for Luke to kill himself, surely. He was dying a slow painful death anyways; there had to be something to speed up the process.

Luke slammed his head against the desk. Everyone turned to him, and Mr. Reybag looked ready to yell, up until the moment he realized that Luke was the one who made the noise. Mr. Reybag had always been lenient when disciplining Luke, mostly out of fear, but in the past few weeks all the teachers had been walking on eggshells around him. Teachers had been writing job or university recommendations for all the other seniors, but not for Luke, and the reason why seemed to sober them. For most of Luke's years at the Emperor's Academy his teachers had treated him like everyone else. Suddenly everyone was remembering that it was the Emperor's academy, and that meant that, in a way, Luke literally owned the school. The job Luke would be assuming after graduation didn't require application or recommendation; it was inherited. As his time at school came to an end the teachers were beginning to see Luke as their prince and not their student. (And the teen wasn't so sure he liked that).

Luke wished he could throw that weight around at the moment. While no one was going to punish him for disrupting the test, PA testing rules would still invalidate his scores if he just got up and left. It didn't matter that he'd finished all four essays in the time allotted for two; he had to stay for another hour and go insane.

The strangest thing was that Luke couldn't even bring himself to a state of meditation. In recent years boredom wasn't a problem because Luke would just slip into the Force if he grew bored. Something about the testing room, however, seemed to be preventing Luke from calming down enough to meditate. He could center himself in the Force during the middle of a battle, but not during PA tests. PA tests, even when ridiculously easy, just created an environment of stress that was impossible to ignore.

Luke actually felt horrible for his classmates. While the test had been easy for him he sort of had an unfair advantage. He'd been studying Imperial Government and Politics for years now as he shadowed his cousin Pooja. (And Luke certainly had a good idea of the duties of Darth Vader.)

Sighing Luke re-opened his test booklet and re-read his essay on that question. He'd already written six pages, but decided to add a few more, just for the sake of it.

 _Darth Vader also exerts significant influence over the Senate as they are all_ _terrified of, I mean_ _awed by his very presence. More than one senator is said to cry whenever he walks in the room. In all reality, however, his influence has been greatly beneficial. Since Prince Luke's public reveal Lord Vader has chosen a number of child-based initiatives to give his attention, and the Senate always prioritizes and passes his chosen bills. Child healthcare, work conditions, and safety have all approved due to Vader-backed initiatives. The only area of child development he has failed to reform is the education system._

Luke stopped writing, wondering for a second why his father had never tackled education. Surely he didn't think that the education system was good? Luke found the test easy, sure, but his peers didn't. The amount of anxiety that Luke felt through the Force was proof enough of the broken educational system. Everything was about standardized tests, memorized facts, and recitation of knowledge. Half the kids at his school didn't know how to think, and half of those who knew how to think didn't.

Suddenly Luke had a thought. If his father had the power to influence the Senate, than didn't Luke have that power as well? He was just as much the heir to the Empire as his father. Perhaps he was less intimidating, but that didn't mean he had to be less influential. Plus Luke knew a number of senators from spending so much time there. He had to hold some influence, and if he didn't yet he could find a way to become influential. If his father had never worked to outlaw PA exams well then perhaps 'Prince Luke' had to.

Luke wasn't bored after that. He began writing a series of notes on his hands and arms, the writing cramped and practically illegible. His father would freak if he saw Luke looking like this, but the ideas he'd written down were brilliant. There was scientific evidence which said test-based teaching didn't work, and it only served to stress kids out. PA tests could determine eligibility for a number of careers, and yet they did little to measure the intelligence or wholesomeness of a person. A number couldn't define a human being, and yet with PA tests the number was all anyone ever cared about. It was wrong.

It was wrong and Prince Luke knew that and he was going to do something about it.

* * *

Luke was very glad he didn't have to rely on facial expressions to know what Pooja was thinking, because her pursed lips would have caused him to abort the mission completely. Still Luke kept getting flashes of pride off of her, so he sat painfully still while Pooja read over and marked up the bill and presentation speech that Luke had prepared.

After what felt like an eternity, Pooja set down her pen and blinked a couple times. "And you just thought of this after finishing your test early?" Luke nodded. "Well I'm glad you've picked up so much. This is good, really good but Luke… are you sure you want to do this? Do you even have permission to do this? I imagine your father is going to object, and no bill passes if the Emperor asks it to disappear. If you take this first step and they object this bill will go from being a good idea to a political fiasco."

"I know, but I don't see why they could reasonably object. My father always says he hated all the tests the Jedi put him through, and Palpatine went to school on Naboo, right, back in the days before standardized tests were abolished there, so he must understand!"

"That's true," Pooja admitted. "But there is the possibility that they'll object simply to keep you from gaining the power to be an influence on the political process."

Luke hadn't thought about that possibility. Why would he? Still it seemed a bit absurd. "I'm going to be running this entire galaxy someday. I should be influencing the political process, and this is a simple way to start."

Pooja considered for a moment, but nodded. "Okay, if you're sure then I'll place it on the priority list with you as the VIP sponsor… what system is your father in?"

"Hosnian."

Pooja snorted a laugh, "I'd expect a Com within an hour. This is going to cause a media uproar. Your bill certainly won't fail for lack of attention."

* * *

"Please tell me that there is a reporter who I shall be visiting soon and that you have not sponsored a bill which would criminalize PA tests because you're sick of studying?"

It was actually only 43 minutes later that Luke answered the Com from his father, and the teen couldn't help but smile smugly. His father had forced Luke to quit gymnastics and learn politics years ago. He should have known that eventually Luke would do something with his education. "Did you know Mother abolished standardized testing on Naboo back when she was Queen?"

Bringing up his mother was always a risky move for Luke, but the teen was feeling haughty. The precedent he had for this bill was astounding, and as soon as he finished getting berated he was going into a press room to speak about the bill. There were reasons for him to be haughty.

"Do not blame your insolence on her," Vader snapped back. "You are being reckless and foolish."

"Well by your standards I'm always reckless and foolish, so I'm not doing anything wrong then," Luke quipped. But the grumble on the other side of the phone said he'd gone too far, and the teen's ego began to shrink considerably. "I apologize, but I really do believe in this bill. I talked it over with Pooja, to see how it works on Naboo, and her assistants pulled up loads of studies which said PA tests don't assess intelligence or knowledge, but the ability to work under pressure."

"Exactly!" Vader exclaimed. "Hence why they are the admission test for the Imperial Navy." Woops, Luke hadn't thought about the fact that this bill directly affected his father. The Press surely wouldn't miss that connection.

But Luke was sharp on his feet, and highly determined. "And they can still be used a test for Navy Applicants, but most careers don't require grace under fire and yet PA tests still determine qualification for these positions. Imagine all the genius scientists and doctors who have failed to make an impact on the world because they don't test well. This bill will benefit the Empire, which is exactly what you've trained me to do."

"You should have spoken to me first," Vader answered, but Luke recognized the specific curt tone. It wasn't an annoyed curt, it was a begrudging curt. His father knew Luke was right on this one, and just hated his son having any sort of independence. (Ironic considering how frequently he left Luke alone). "And know that when asked to comment I will be forced to point out that naval recruitment will suffer because of it."

Yes, he was right, but Luke also knew the one type of recruitment that would suffer, and it was less 'recruitment' and more compulsory draft. The top 2% of PA takers were automatically placed in an Imperial Academy and had to prove employment at another Imperial-approved corporation to be exempt from it. It was intended to ensure that all gifted members of the Empire were provided with opportunities even if from a poor district that does not encourage Academy enrollment. In reality, however, it just forced the brightest people in the Empire to work for the Empire whether or not they would prefer to stay far away from the military.

"A practice which is barbaric at best. How is forcing the most intelligent people to work for the Empire any different from forcing the most Force-sensitive people to join the Jedi? I would think you of all people could see that!"

Once again Luke had gone too far, and he knew he'd have Hell to pay when his father returned. Since his father wasn't scheduled to return to Coruscant anytime soon, however, Luke only cringed when his father glared. "I hope for your sake that the Emperor does not see fit to challenge us both by coming out on one side or another for the bill." Luke gulped, having mostly forgotten that the Emperor really had all the say on legislation passed. "And I will speak to you about your attitude when I return to Coruscant."

Pooja had been standing off to the side listening, and shrugged a little bit. "It could be worse, though your father is right. If the Emperor speaks out we'll have a serious problem."

"I know," Luke admitted straightening out his clothes. "So I guess I'll just have to convince him I'm right to support this bill."

Boosting his confidence once more by calling on the strengthening power of the Force, Luke walked into the room. Hundreds of reporters, from HoloNet sights across the system, had come as fast as they could. An education bill was insignificant, true, but the first bill sponsored by Prince Luke was not to be ignored.

"Good evening and welcome," Luke told the crowd with a smile. They all stayed silent, the only noise the shuttering of cameras. "I'm going to try and make this brief because I have to get up at 6 hundred and take PA tests in the morning." That evoked a little laugh from the crowd, and Luke's smile brightened. It was the smile of a seasoned politician, a prince, not of the farm boy he'd once been, and yet it was true and pure. He wasn't trying to win them over to a lie; he truly believed in the cause.

"PA tests existed long before the Empire, but they became a requirement for any school to obtain Imperial Accreditation 3 years after the formation of the Empire. Planets which wished to have different assessments, such as the Naboo trade assessment, had to be specially approved by the Senate and renewed biyearly, a process which Senator Naberrie has assured me is lengthy and difficult. The purpose of the bill she's proposed and I am sponsoring is fundamentally to eliminate this requirement for accreditation and make it illegal for any one standardized test to determine eligibility for continued education and any number of jobs.

"PA tests are taken over two weeks in any number of subjects, and while a 3 is considered a 'pass' any score lower than a 4 or 5 eliminates the possibility for a student to continue in that field. That is absurd. The students across this great Empire are immensely different. A low-income student might find himself working until zero hundred hours and then be in school six hours later taking a test which will determine his future prospects. And opportunities for make ups are limited, and so a student that happens to be sick on the day of the test has no choice but to come in and spread that illness. This system is broken!

"Of course assessment is necessary. We want our doctors to know anatomy and our engineers to know physics, but qualification for these careers cannot be determined by one test. There needs to be a number of tests specific to career-related material. Under this proposed bill employers and higher education facilities will be free to test any applicant so long as the test is specified for the company or university. There is nothing wrong with tests, but PA tests abolish holistic acceptance processes. The passage of this bill will revitalize recruitment, the economy, and our Empire.

"Standardized testing has its purpose for comparison, but it is far overused. Senator Naberrie's assistants have information packs available which provide an overview of the scientific studies which prove standardized testing is not a useful assessment of qualification, only the simplest one. We are not an Empire of laziness and we must be committed to bettering our systems even at the cost of hard work. The citizens of this Empire deserve to be treated as individuals with specific gifts and talents, not as a score and that is what this bill I am sponsoring does. Thank you and I'm open to any questions you may have."

A round of applause echoed across the room, but the second it died down hundred of hands shot in the air. Luke was taken aback, but kept his calm and pointed to a woman in the second row.

"Thank you Prince Luke for such a rousing speech. I have a daughter home studying for her PA test in Calculus tomorrow and I am sure she agrees with your assessment," the reporter told Luke with a bright smile. "You mentioned this bill only being the first step. What other ideas for education reform to you have?"

"At the moment, none," Luke replied, rousing a laugh out of the crowd. "I still am in school myself, and wish for my post graduation plans to remain private. I do firmly believe, however, that a successful society has a well-educated populace, and would consider lending my support to any bill which sought to develop our system further. There are always improvements to be made and would gladly participate in making them…. Another question? Yes you, blue tie, third row."

"My contact on the Executor has confirmed that your father, Lord Vader, is drafting a statement on the bill himself. As the PA tests you seek to eliminate are a fundamental component of Navy Officer Admission, do you think this is a statement of support?"

Luke chuckled a little. "No I spoke with my father before coming here and will confirm he does not support this bill. While my father and I both seek the benefit of the Empire it is rare that we agree on what is best for the Empire. From a military point of view PA tests make sense to him. From a student point of view I see them as detracting. Deciding which one of us is right will be left to our esteemed senate and final consideration, of course, by Emperor Palpatine, who is right far more often than my father and I combined."

The joke felt like a lie to Luke, who didn't particularly like the Sith Emperor, but the media appreciated it. "Thank you. Now I must apologize because I know there are more questions but as I said I must go home and study. Thank you and goodnight."

* * *

Luke didn't end up making it to school the next day to take a PA Calculus test.

Despite ending the press conference quickly, Luke ended up speaking to dozens of senators before finally making it home at o-one-hundred. He was then woken at four hundred when the Force alerted him to the presence of a dozen men before there was even a knock on the door.

Blinking exhaustion from his eyes Luke tried to appear presentable. The past few months he'd been grilled relentlessly on the fact that he had to always look like the Imperial Heir, even in the middle of the night.

He only half succeeded in looking proper though, so it was good that the knocker was Admiral Cassel, who'd known Luke since the boy worse Tie Fighter- pajamas. Of course there were a dozen stormtroopers too, but they were a little ways back and didn't really count.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion Luke, but Rebellion activity has spiked on many core words within the past few hours and Lord Vader commed that he could not reach you. I assured him you were probably just asleep and did not hear the call, but he wished for me to personally assure your safety and leave some extra trooper protection in the building."

Sure enough Luke's Com was blinking with missed calls, but that didn't really answer things. "That's strange. My father rarely worries about me. I can do more with my lightsaber than a hundred troopers can with blasters."

Admiral Cassel smiled, "I am sure, but it seems your public appearance tonight was the cause of the activity and so the whole building is being shut down. Too many senators live here. We're just asking everyone stay in place until things quiet down."

Okay, that was fair enough, but still odd. Luke was usually exempt from such things. "Admiral, is there possibly a rebel revolt on Imperial Center?"

"A few protests in the lower levels, but they're being dispersed currently. The planet is just on high alert until then, and so your father has ordered you be kept here until he can return and discover the root of the Rebel activity."

It was obviously more than a few protests to have Vader so worried, but Luke nodded and allowed the Admiral on his way. It wasn't like Luke didn't have other sources of information anyways.

There were whole divisions of the Imperial Security Forces dedicated to removing rebellious material from the HoloNet, and they were making quick work of everything appearing. Never-the-less for his 17th birthday Luke had been gifted by the Emperor the password to all deleted information, and Luke simply logged into that to see what was really going on.

Admiral Cassel hadn't been entirely truthful, not that Luke was surprised by that. The riots were almost entirely centralized on Coruscant, and in no shape or form restricted to the lower levels. The Senate area was blocked off, but the perimeter of troopers was struggling to keep people back. Hundreds of people were holding signs, and the same words seemed to be spray painted on every building: **The citizens of this Empire deserve to be treated as individuals.**

Luke didn't get it. This was about his bill? This was about what he'd said earlier? Why would there be protests and downright revolt because Luke wanted to eliminate standardized testing? What was bad about wanting to treat people like, well, like people?

But the more Luke scrolled through images of the revolt he realized that there were other images mixed in with his words: Wookie slaves, Kessel spice mines, and even just pictures of the monotone, dehumanizing, uniforms of stormtroopers. People weren't upset that he wanted to individualize people; they were calling him a hypocrite.

"Kriff, what have I done?" Luke muttered, poking his head out the window in time to see a crowd of protesters throw bombs over the barricade, and promptly get shot down by troopers.

"That is the exact question I have been wondering since getting the call that I needed to return to Coruscant immediately." Luke had been too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice his Father's Force-presence, and turned, shoulders raised and a grimace wide on his face.

"You do not listen, do you?" Vader asked his son, fury brimming over. Luke found himself almost scared. No, no that wasn't scared. He was embarrassed. "Do you?"

"I'm sorry!" Luke cried out, wishing he could shrink in on himself. "I didn't know this was going to happen! I just wanted to get rid of some tests which ruin the lives of teenagers everywhere. I don't get how that insights rebellion!"

Vader was silent for a moment so Luke stretched out through the Force. The room was mostly dim; they didn't have plants or anything. The only presence Luke felt was his father as the Sith released his anger into the Force so he didn't escalate things further (as tended to happen whenever he and Luke fought). "You must begin to listen. You are the Imperial Heir, you have grown up, and the galaxy is beginning to notice. You asked them to listen to you, and now they have. And the words you spoke were thoughtless. This Empire is not based on individualism or achieving your greatest potential. PA tests exclude those whose intelligence fall outside the confines of the rules, and that is why they are so fundamental. The Empire's continuing functioning is based on putting in positions of power only those who will follow those rules. Only those who will submit their individualism for the needs of the system itself. You spoke tonight of wanting individualism, but that is not what the Empire is based on. The people saw a contradiction, and it incited the spirit of rebellion many of them hold in secret. Fortunately this is not irremediable. The protesters shall all be arrested by morning and once they have been made examples of no one new will use your careless words to justify terrorism."

Something about his father's words didn't sit right with Luke, but he was still exhausted and felt terrible, so he didn't fight through his feelings. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"I know. It was a political gaff. I make them frequently and am simply wise enough to eliminate all who witness them." That was a joke. A horribly morbid joke, but a joke never-the-less.

And it just hurt Luke's brain. "I'm going to bed. Something tells me that my punishment for this mess will be my Calculus exam.

* * *

And yet Luke still did not make it to Calculus the next morning. He awoke early enough, exhausted beyond belief and ready for the whole day to be a disaster. A quick peek out the window showed Luke that the crowds had been dispersed before the general population awoke, and since the HoloNet was firmly denying any over-night rebel activity, most people didn't even seem to think anything was wrong. (The other thing Luke noticed was that none of the news stations were mentioning his speech or bill. How strange that they could remain so quiet. It was almost as if they'd been told to).

Still Luke couldn't help but be relieved by the averted crisis, even if it meant PA tests. So he put on his uniform and was about ready to walk out the door when he noticed his Com blinking.

It was a message from his father, recorded from the bridge of the Executor from the looks of it, and boding ill for Luke even before he heard the words. "I have already returned to my command, but received an early morning summons from the Emperor. He wishes you go to the palace and meet with him instead of attending school. He did not want you awoken early, but do not mistake that for an opportunity to keep him waiting."

Well kriff. Luke was surely done for it if the Emperor wanted to see him. Apparently things weren't going to die down as easily in Luke's life as they did on the HoloNet. Still it wasn't like Luke could just ignore a summons from the Emperor of the galaxy, and so he changed into more Court-appropriate attire, got in his speeder, and flew to the Palace.

It was still very early in the morning when Luke arrived, and few people moved about the Palace. As he passed the residential wing he caught a hint of Leah's Force presence, and was considering popping in to say hello when she poked her head out, obviously having sensed him as well. (Leah claimed even her limited Force-ability easily recognized Luke if he wasn't shielded. He was like a beacon she said. Luke was also pretty sure that was why the Emperor often request that Luke enter the palace un-shielded, as a warning to his many Force-Sensitive servants to stay away.)

"I hear about the protests last night," Leah told Luke with an apologetic grin. "For what it's worth you were right about PA tests being evil… sometimes we just forget that evil has a place in our lives."

Yeah, Luke frequently forgot that, mostly because it made no sense. "Will you tell Mr. Reybag that I won't be there for the test and not to worry about make-ups? I'm most certainly not one of the many whose future is determined by a test score."

"No, just a midichlorian count," Leah chuckled, her eyes dim and sad. (Luke had long suspected her midichlorian count mattered just as much as his. She was, after all, basically a prisoner in the Imperial Palace.) "I'll tell him. Good luck with the Emperor. Don't let him bully you. He can be mean."

"He's always nice to me."

Leah bit her top lip, but nodded, "So I've heard. I hope you're smart enough to know that just makes it scarier."

Luke nodded slowly, turning down the hall. He shouldn't doddle, not when the Emperor was waiting. Still he let Leah re-enter her apartment first before moving down the hall, wondering the whole way just how telling yesterday's screw up would be of his job after graduation… whatever that job may be. (Though really Luke knew there was only one job. The job of a Sith is to obtain power, no matter what.)

The Emperor was in his private study, a room Luke had never been allowed in before. Still he was waved right in by aids and the red guard, and the Emperor, who was dressed casually and eating breakfast smiled at the teen, the deformed wrinkles on his face looking quite a bit like the lumpy eggs he ate.

"Come in my boy, sit down. Would you like something to eat?"

"No thank you, Master," despite having called the Emperor that for years, the name still seemed to stick on Luke's tongue.

Still the Emperor didn't seem to mind Luke's refusal. He spooned another egg into his mouth, all while pressing against Luke's Force presence. "I must say I was rather surprised by your actions yesterday. My agents all claimed that you were miserable in the lessons you received from your cousin. None of them even seemed to know how you were aware that bills sponsored by VIPs got immediate consideration by the senate, no matter how seemingly insignificant the bill… Are you commonly underestimated?"

It was an odd question, but the answer was easy. "Yes, Master. I find that all teenagers are simultaneously underestimated and subject to too many expectations."

"And accurate assessment of youth," the Emperor chuckled. "Of course we must discuss what to do now that you have presented the bill. It obviously cannot pass through the senate. PA tests are fundamental to ensuring that all those with significant intelligence rightfully serve their empire and that those in positions of power are… mentally qualified for such pursuits. And the implications of your speech can be… troublesome. Individualism is not to be encouraged among the general population. You have been raised differently as you are powerful, but you must not forget that stability is the first priority. The focus on individual talent must be deferred to the focus on the whole, you understand?" Luke nodded, but it was a lie. Luckily, while having some shields down, Luke still hid his true thoughts on such matters.

"Additionally you must never allow any conflict between you and your father to be made apparent. As the future leaders of this Empire you must be perceived as perfect. The Force gives you the strength to rule, but others will forget this. Others must forget this. You must ensure they never second-guess your judgment. If the two Imperial Heirs disagree then one must be wrong, but no heir can ever be wrong."

Okay, but Luke was frequently wrong. His father was wrong even more often. It seemed a bit silly to Luke to lie and pretend they were perfect when they were most obviously not. Still Luke knew he did best when he didn't question the supreme ruler of the galaxy. "Yes Master, I understand, and I apologize for my lack of judgment."

"You are still young and weak," the Emperor reminded, though something in the Sith's smile made Luke wonder just how much longer his youth was going to be an excuse. "Still the question remains of what to do. This bill cannot pass through the Senate for PA tests are necessary. The bill cannot fail either, not as your first sponsored legislation. It would undermine your legitimacy."

Well Luke might be missing his PA test, but he was still logical. He knew that there was no way for the bill to not pass and yet not fail. Still the Emperor carried on, as if no flaw in logic existed at all.

"More importantly we must ensure the public does not think further on your comments about individualism and the fallibility of the Imperial heirs. Therefore I have decided to abolish the senate effective immediately. It had gone from being a tool for pacification to a stage for Rebel sympathizers to broadcast their treason to the galaxy. Watch."

Luke was reeling from the Emperor's untroubled statement about abolishing the entire Imperial Senate, and it took him a good minute to realize that the Emperor was showing a speech, a live speech by Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila, a speech she obviously did not intend for the Emperor to intercept

"This is Senator Mon Mothma. I've been called a traitor for speaking out against a corrupt Galactic Senate, a Senate manipulated by the sinister tactics of the Emperor. For too long, I've watched the heavy hand of the Empire strangle our liberties, stifling our freedoms in the name of ensuring our safety. No longer. Despite Imperial threats, despite the Emperor himself, I have no fear as I take new action. For I am not alone. Beginning today, we stand together as allies. I hereby resign from the Senate to fight for you. Not from the distant halls of politics, but from the front lines. We will not rest until we bring an end to the Empire, until we restore our Republic. Are you with me? Look! They came. Look how many there are. This, my friends, this is our rebellion."

The video clicked off, and the Emperor looked at Luke a long time. "We had expected her involvement with the Rebellion for a long time, but her resignation confirms that they are further organizing around her. This cannot be allowed. I will use Senator Mothma's treachery as reason to disband the senate, and then your bill will be long forgotten in the transition."

Yeah, Luke had no doubt about that. He couldn't help but wonder, however, what else would be lost in transition. "I am deeply sorry Master for the trouble I have caused. I simply wanted to get out of a test."

Palpatine smiled, his wrinkles spreading like the tumultuous waves of Kamino. "Fear nor my young apprentice, for the test is just beginning. Let Mothma have her rebellion. This is our Empire. "


End file.
